Getting better
by Ebony Bluebell
Summary: Many years after the war Harry and Hermione move to queens, new york. But all is not as it seems. Coop/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

"Dr. Granger is a brilliant doctor. She is the best we could ever have." The woman said. I fought back a chuckle. I love wandless magic, it allowed me to be a brilliant doctor, and keep an eye on Harry at the same time.

"Coop, can you show her around. She'll need to know where everything is, oh, and introduce her to Eddie."

"Okay. Dr Granger... Come with me." He said in a cheerful tone.

"Okay..." I said, following him reluctantly. I didn't need showing around. I could find my way very quickly with magic. I went along with it, so it didn't look suspicious.

He told me where everything was, and then he lead me into the hospital pharmacy for some strange reason. There was a man with a bald, and a nurse with short blonde hair, and the look of intoxication on her face. A drug addict as a nurse. This will be fun.

"Eddie," So this was Eddie, "this is the new doctor. Dr. Granger, this is the hospital pharmacist. Oh, this is Jackie." He said, pointing to the intoxicated woman.

I nodded. I walked up to Jackie, and chuckled humorously.

"Why are you using drugs? You are in a hospital." I said. She swallowed.

"I'm not using drugs," She lied.

"I might be new, but I know the look on your face. I see it everyday at home." I told her, immediately.

She looked down, and bit her lip.

"Jackie, what's going on?" Dr. Cooper asked from behind me.

"Nothing." She lied. My heart went out to her, but I don't want her treating patients.

"Come with me, Jackie, I'll help you." I said leading her away from the group. I lead her to the chapel, and I sat down on the bench, reaching inside my pocket, and taking two packets out. I handed her one, and just stared at my own.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Popping candy. It stops the cravings. One a day. It does wonders. Helps withdrawals, too."

"How do you know?" She asked as I ripped open my packet, and threw the candy into my mouth. I felt the relief quickly.

"I was doing drugs at the age of fourteen. I went to rehab, got my ass sorted, and with a packet of popping candy everyday, I've been sober since the age of 22. I'm now 30. Not that much has changed in the last 8 years. Just location." I admitted.

x.x.x

After the war, Harry and I went to a dark place. I got out. Harry couldn't, and now, he is a drug addict so bad that no amount of magic can help him. And it scares me.

x.x.x

"How old were you?" I heard Dr. Roman ask. I looked up from the paperwork, and she was stood there, holding the picture from my desk.

"In that picture? I was eleven. Eleven and innocent. What do you want?"

"How do you do it?" She asked. I stopped, realizing what she was asking. I decided to play dumb.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Diagnose people so quickly. Spot drug addicts. Get from one place to another instantly." I'm screwed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied.

"When you decide to tell me the truth, come find me." She said, strutting out of my office, after putting the photo down. I picked up the photo, and looked at it. It was Ron, Harry and I, at the end of our first year of Hogwarts. I had my arms around both of them, and I could tell that we were all laughing at something. Harry's face looked so young. I looked young. Ron looked young. And we all looked happy. Oh, I've missed that feeling.

x.x.x

_"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" I asked, softly._

_"Yes." Harry agreed._

x.x.x

"Dr. Granger to the ER." I heard. I rushed toward the ER, and the sight that greeted me surprised me a little. Jackie Peyton kneeling over a moving patient, doing CPR. Fuck. I rushed to the side, and the shock hit me in the face. The lightening bolt scar was impossible to miss. Harry.

"FUCK! Jackie, keep going. Overdose?" I asked.

"Yeah." Jackie said, looking up.

"Fuck!" I swore loudly.

"Do you know him?" Dr. Cooper asked.

I took over giving oxygen, and I didn't answer him.

"Come on, Harry. You gotta live. I can't lose you too. Breath, you fucking asshole, breath!"

We transferred him to a bed, and I took over compressions. The tears rolled down my face as I did.

"Please, Harry. Stay. I need you." I begged helplessly. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I knew we were too late.

"Harrison James Potter, breath, you fucking asshole. Breath. Please." I stopped compressions, and I allowed myself to break in front of a staff member. I cried over Harry, and held his hand, begging him to come back.

x.x.x

_"No spell can reawaken the dead."_

x.x.x

The hand was still there, but now soothingly rubbing my back.

"Please." I softly begged, one last time.

"He's gone." I heard the owner of the voice say. Dr. Cooper. Great.

He squeezed my shoulder softly, and then almost forced me out the room one handed.

"I'll take you home." He told me with a stern tone I had never felt before. I nodded. He lead me outside, where Zoey was waiting.

"Your coat and bag." She said solemnly, handing over my things.

"Thank you." I whispered.

She went back in, and a taxi pulled up. Cooper opened the door, and I got in, and he got in straight after. I put my seatbelt on, and told the driver my address before going back to my silence. When we got there, he followed me into the three-bedroom house, and I immediately went to the kitchen. There was quiet music playing and I knew they left his phone here, playing his favourite song over and over. There was a knife on the counter, with a few droplets of blood on it, and a note on the table told me he knew he was going to die today. A small tear slipped down my face as I picked up the piece of paper.

_Hermione._

_I'm dead. You know it. I'm sober writing this letter._

_Keep living. Keep being sober. Live. You deserve freedom._

_Be happy, my sister._

_Harry._

I blindly reached for the medicine draw, and I opened it. I saw the ibuprofen, and I took 4 out of the box. I swallowed all 4.

"Dr. Granger." I heard Cooper's voice behind me.

"Hermione." I told him.

"Hermione, do you want me to stay the night?" He asked.

"Yes, but only so I won't do something stupid, but I have a call to make." I told him.

"You can sleep in the room that has a door tag labelled 'Ron'." I whispered, reaching for the phone. I dialled the number, and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" It was answered on the first ring.

"Harry's dead." I told the woman on the other end, and I ended the call.

"Who was that?" Dr. Cooper asked, coming to stand in front of me.

"Just an old friend." I lied. It was then I broke. I sobbed, and I fell into Coop's waiting arms, and he held me as I cried.

x.x.x

_"Hermione, you ought to take the day off." He said._

_"No, I ain't takin' the day off." I said, immediately._

x.x.x

When I got in, I was introduced to Jackie's daughter, Grace. Apparently she was caught with drugs. Lovely.

"Dr. Granger, can you talk to Grace about drugs, please" Jackie said.

I led the teen into my office, and made her sit down.

"I'm not gonna throw information about what your doing at you. What I am gonna do is tell you the mess I am in because of drugs." I said, sitting down. She groaned.

"Grace, at the age of eighteen, one of my best friends died to drugs. A year later my other best friend started using because he lost his fiance and unborn baby. He committed suicide yesterday, by overdosing. I used drugs, and now the cravings are terrible. I haven't used in eight years, but I started at thirteen, one year's breath and then, I didn't stop using until I was twenty-two. Grace, I can tell you that it's not worth it."

"Why did you use drugs?" She asked.

"Because I wanted to forget." I whispered. She looked down, and I saw a single tear fall from her eye.

"Grace, time to go." Jackie appeared in the door way. Grace stood and walked towards me.

"You're a good person with bad memories." She said. She walked away, and I heard her and Jackie talking as they left.

"What did she tell you?" Jackie asked.

"It's not my business to tell you." She snapped.

x.x.x

_Harry and Ron had given up asking me how I was managing to attend several classes at once, but they couldn't restrain themselves when they saw the exam schedule I had drawn up for myself. The first column read:_

Monday

9:00 am

Arithmancy

9:00 am

Transfiguration

12:00 pm

Lunch

1:00 pm

Charms

1:00 pm

Ancient Runes

_"Hermione?" Ron said cautiously, because I was liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Er - are you sure you've copied down these times right?"_

_"What?" I snapped, picking up the exam schedule and examining it. "Yes, of course I have."_

_"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" said Harry._

_"No," I said shortly. "Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Gramatica?"_

x.x.x

That was the first time I ever took drugs. That time, it wasn't to forget, it was the stress of going back in time to do other exams at the same time. It was very difficult. I don't even know how I managed to do it for a whole year.

One week of drugs. Then I stopped for a year, then he came back and everything spiralled out of my control.

The tears slipped down my face, and I picked up the picture of innocence on my desk. I looked at the way Harry's eyes shined, and how bright they were.

x.x.x

_"Ginny is pregnant. It's a girl." He said, his eyes shining with happiness._

x.x.x

Three days later she and her baby were dead, and Harry was using again.

"Dr. Granger?" Zoey asked cautiously, standing in the doorway. Today her scrubs were pink with little bunnies.

"Come in, Zoey." I said with a sigh.

"Can't, I just have a message for you. Dr. Cooper wants to see you in his office. No idea what he wants, but he is avoiding Dr. Roman." She said, before walking away.

I walked to Cooper's office, and knocked on the door, "It's me."

"Come in." He said. I opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind me. He had a letter in his hands, and it was parchment. I'm screwed.

A small white owl was sat on his desk, and it was glaring at Cooper.

"How did they train owls to send letters? And parchment? That must have been expensive!" He paused, "This is for you."a

He handed it to me, and I quickly opened it.

_Granger,_

_I'm sorry._

_Malfoy._

I rolled my eyes.

"Fucking pathetic. I'm sorry? Seriously. Fucking ferret!" I ranted underneath my breath.

Cooper chuckled.

"I'm going home." I said, checking my watch.

"Okay. I'll see you later. You aren't being alone for long." He said.

x.x.x

I opened my eyes, and I felt the floor underneath me. I felt a glass bottle in my hand and I knew it was the magical equivalent of drugs. Fuck.

"Welcome back to the world of living." I heard. Double fuck.

"Hi." I muttered.

"Hermione Granger. Haven't seen you since rehab. Get up." The man demanded.

"Oi. Don't talk to her like that!" Cooper demanded.

I stood, and glared at the Weasley. I felt my high approaching at full speed.

"Drink." George demanded, handing me a full vial. I shook my head, before approaching Cooper and kissing him like I kissed Ron. He took a few seconds to respond, and his lips moved with mine. When I pulled back, he looked confused.

I turned to George.

"I have a new life now. I'm not Hermione Granger, the golden trio's brains, or the girl who gets 112% in an exam. I am Dr. Hermione Granger, and I don't want any owls, or phone calls from your family. I need you out of my life to get better." I said. I turned away, and cuddled into a stunned Cooper, and I heard a door slam.

"He's gone." Coop muttered.

"I know." I whispered, before kissing him again. He wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me with a passion I thought wasn't possible. My heart pounded in my chest, as I kissed him harder than I thought I could. He grabbed my hips and lifted me slightly so I could wrap my legs around his waist. He carried me through to the living room, and sat on the couch with me straddling him. I could feel his hard cock through his pants and I slipped a hand between us, and I unbuckled his belt and freed his member. I stroked it softly. He released my lips with a groan of pleasure.

"Fuck." He muttered as I stroked him harder. I let him go, as I stood and took off my black top. I took my trousers off, leaving me in only my bra and pants. He unbuttoned his shirt as I straddled his lap again. He slid my thong aside and slid a finger inside me. I gasped in pleasure. It's been a long time since I've had any sexual activity. He pumped his finger in and out of me, and I was in pure bliss. In no time I came, crying his name.

He slid his finger out of me and sucked it clean. I moved, and slid onto his cock. He groaned, and grabbed my waist. I slowly rode him, and he swore loudly. I rested my forehead on his shoulder, and a single tear slipped down my face. How fucked up is that?

He wrapped his strong arms around me as he came, and he just held me as tears slipped down my face.


	2. Chapter 2

I cast the charm, and looked down at my stomach. You are fucking kidding me. I cannot have another child. Never.

* * *

"Kai? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Bitch in town. We need to get out of here, fast." My brother said, continuing to pack a bag of clean clothes from the dryer.

"Kai, if we keep running, she will keep finding us, and, eventually, she will succeed in killing me." I softly said. I didn't want to die, but if we kept this up, she would kill my entire family, like she killed Ron and Ginny, and like she killed my little girl.

"So what we gonna do?" He asked.

"Hermione?" I heard Cooper ask as he walked through the front door.

"In the kitchen!" I told him. I turned to my brother, "It's time I told him."

Kai nodded. He squeezed my hand, and smiled through his tears. He was scared as much as I was.

"Coop, sit down, please. I have something to tell you, and please don't freak out, and just let me talk." I said.

"Okay, what's up?" He asked as he sat down.

"I am a witch, and I do magic, all the time. There are good and evil witches, and there are good and evil wizards. I met Harry on the train to a magical boarding school, not at medical school." I said, "I am a good witch. I use magic to diagnose patients almost immediately, and I helped kill the darkest wizard of all time in a war when I was eighteen. At the age of 23 I had a daughter, and when I was 29, I watched her die at the hands of a person I've been trying to kill since she killed Ron, Ginny and Harry's baby, and Harry has been trying to kill her since she killed his godfather, and now she's here. She wants me dead, and she tried to weaken me by killing the people closest to me, like my 6 year-old daughter."

I stopped talking, as the tears rolled down my face. And then the flashback hit me.

* * *

_"Mummy!" My daughter screamed my name, "Help!"_

_Bellatrix threw curse after curse at her, hurting her, making her scream._

_"Please mummy!" She cried. I fought against the chains holding me, before I realized they were magically enchanted to hold me until someone got here._

_The torture went on for hours. Hours of her screaming for my help. It kept going until her heart gave out, and she just lost the battle. I heard her voice, tiny, but I heard it._

_"I'm sorry, mummy."_

* * *

"It's not fair." I whispered. I felt arms around me, and I instantly recognized them. Cooper.

"I know. I'm not gonna tell anyone, and we are gonna act like normal tomorrow, and work. If she shows up, get me, and we will run. Okay?" He asked, with genuine concern in his voice.

"Okay." I whispered.

* * *

The next morning, I got up and went to work like any normal day. I stitched a few patients up, caught up on paperwork, all before all hell broke loose. I entered the room, and I froze.

"I think it's time we had a little fun." She said in her high pitched girly voice. I stumbled backwards.

"No." I begged.

"Crucio!" She said, pointing her wand at me. The pain hit me like lightning, and I fell to the floor in pain. All I wanted to do is scream, but I couldn't give her the satisfaction. She rained the curse down on me a thousand times before I felt my body start to give up. The tears rolled down my face, and I started letting out little whimpers. The door opened behind me.

"Dr. Grang-" Zoey started.

"Go." I muttered. She nodded, and left the room. I heard her shout for security, and that made Bellatrix curse me faster and harder. The door opened again, and a gasp broke my heart. Coop. I was gonna die, and he wouldn't ever know. He wouldn't know I loved him. He would never know that he was gonna be a dad.

"Hermione!" He cried. The pain stopped suddenly as cops entered the room and took her. I was getting tired, my eyes heavy, and all I wanted to do is give up. My hands wrapped around my stomach.

He dropped to his knees beside me, and ran his hand though my hair, trying to comfort me.

"Stay with me." He begged.

"I'm pregnant."

He paused for a second, "Is it mine?"

"Yes." I managed to whisper before the darkness consumed me.

* * *

"Welcome back," I was greeted softly by Coop as I opened my eyes. He had a small smile upon his lips.

"How long have I been out for?" I asked.

"An hour, or so." He said, smile not faltering. Oh fuck. He's happy about me being pregnant.

"Okay, what did Zoey actually see?" I asked, worried.

"Lots of light, and you on the ground in pain," His smile faltered a bit, "Your arm was bleeding, and when I checked it, there was a word carved into it. It said... mudblood. I stitched it and wrapped it."

Mudblood... She reopened the old scar... a tear rolled down my face before I could stop it.

"Are you in pain? What can I do?"

I shook my head.

"I'm a mudblood." I whispered.

"What's a mudblood?" Coop asked, sounding like a child.

"It means dirty blood. Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who's muggle born. Someone with non-magic parents. Someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation. " I explained. He nodded. His smile returned, and I tilted my head, confused.

"You're pregnant."

"Thirteen weeks." I told him. He grinned and put a hand on my stomach.

"My baby. Our baby." He said, smiling.

Zoey entered the room, and she looked at me. She frowned softly, "I though she was going to kill you."

"She was." I told her, "I was going to die, Zoey. You saved me this time."

She walked forward, and stood beside Coop, "Are you okay?" She asked seriously.

"No. Yes. I don't know." I whispered.

"Can I help?" She asked.

"No, Zoey, you saved my life. That's enough."

"Okay." She said, turning away, and going to leave. I whispered the spell, focusing on what just happened and replacing it with another. She paused as the spell worked, before continuing out of the room.

"So, when we gonna tell people?" Coop asked, getting excited.

"Never, if I have my way, but that will never happen. Let's wait until I start showing, please."

* * *

I threw my clothes into a bag, grabbing a few vials, to join them. I hooked the handbag over my shoulder and turned aroung to face Coop.

"Where you going?" He asked.

"Out." I lied.

"Okay. Enjoy your day off." He said before leaving. I turned to leave the house, and then I reconsidered. I turned to the pills on the side. No, I can't. I sighed. I grabbed a pen and paper, and wrote a short note.

_Coop, _

_I love you so much. You haven't got a clue how much I love you, but I must leave, for your safety. Please, live here, because then I can find you easily. _

_Hermione._

I dropped the note on the counter, and apperated to the place I once called home.

* * *

I snuck into the small bedroom where Coop was curled up in a ball, crying. My heart broke a bit, and I knelt down beside the bed. I put my hand on his cheek, and softly brushed my thumb over it.

"Hermione." He whispered.

"Shh, I shouldn't be here. I've got to leave in a moment, but I just needed to see you. I'll try and come back tomorrow. I love you so much." I explained softly, before kissing his forehead, and apperating away.

* * *

I watched over him for a few nights, before I knew it was too dangerous.

"I love you." I whispered softly into his ear as he slept, "I'll see you in a few months."

A tear slipped down his face before I could turn away.

"I'm so sorry." I muttered, apperating to the safe house.

* * *

"I know you're there. I can feel your presence." Coop said, as I slipped into the shadows, and put the cloak on.

"Please show yourself." He begged softly. I moved forward and dropped a small photo on the table in front of him. He picked it up, and studied it.

"Let me see her." He demanded.

"No." I told him, still concealed.

"Where is my daughter?" He demanded.

"She is at a safe house. There, she will not have any contact with either of us. It's only for a while." I said.

"You have no right-" He started, but I snapped, dropping the cloak.

"I haven't seen her since she was three days old! I shouldn't be here, but I am. If they had their way, I'd never see you again, and you'd never meet your daughter! So don't you dare have a go at me! I am not allowed to see my daughter! Until I kill Bellatrix, we cannot see our daughter."

He stared at me for a few seconds, before a tear slipped down his face.

"Her name?" He asked softly.

"Iris Ginevra Cooper. For a boy, it was gonna be Harrison Jacob Cooper." I told him, tears slipping down my face. A hand on my shoulder startled me, and I spun around to face Neville. I didn't relax.

"Who saved Sirius Black from the Dementors?" He asked, and I relaxed.

"Harry Potter and I." I told him softly. He relaxed, too.

"Its time to go and try and kill her again. We've found her." He said.

"I'll be back." I promised. I grabbed Neville's hand.

* * *

The tears slipped down my face as I approached my three month old daughter. I scooped her up into my arms, and held her. She had a head full of dark hair, and her father's nose. Her little eyes opened, to reveal beautiful greeny blue eyes.

"Hello, my darling." I said softly. I apperated to Coop with her in my arms. My daughter put her hand on my cheek, and smiled.

"Ma." She cooed at me, "Ma." Coop spun around, and looked at me. He had been crying, I could see it, but when he saw us, he smiled. He walked forward, and opened his arms for her. I passed her over, and he just held her protectively. He would be a good dad. He was talking quietly to her, and she was babbling away.

"She's beautiful." He said, softly.

"I know." I whispered.

He walked towards me, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I love you. Both of you." He whispered gently.


End file.
